Many readers complain that the financial institutions that are keen to take
their money are less willing to answer legitimate questions. Our consumer
champion is here to help.

Last Christmas, my daughter gave me an M&S voucher card worth £40. Unfortunately the card slipped out of its voucher holder and is presumably now lost.

The receipt, copy enclosed, clearly states that a replacement card will not be issued. I therefore contacted the chief executive of M&S asking that vouchers equating to the value on the card be deposited at my local M&S. The reply from M&S gives the impression that there is nothing it can do about the situation.

Latterly, I found out several other facts about these cards, which suggest that there is in fact a great deal M&S can do. First, the numbers on the receipt refer to the gift card itself and not, as I initially thought, the donor's debit card. Second, the store of purchase is also on the receipt. Moreover, I gather that M&S stores have CCTV cameras overlooking sales.

By judicious use of their extensive computer systems it is easy, therefore, for M&S to see just who has used a card, at which store and on what goods. Even now, I have no idea if that card has been presented.

Marks & Spencer have refused to honour £190 worth of gift vouchers saying they are out of date. There is no expiry date on the vouchers. I think this is a mean attitude to take to a previously loyal customer of this large retailer.

You very kindly helped me with a building society query a couple of years ago. I would value your advice now.

AG Wiltshire

Actually, in response to GP, I do not have an office and work, as regular readers will know, as a one-woman band from home.

Reasonably enough, M&S says it sympathises with GP's case and understands how frustrating it must be to mislay a gift card. It says its policy is clear and communicated directly to a customer at point of purchase. Therefore, in order to maintain consistency in its dealings with all its customers, it will not be able to help.

To give some clarity around the issues you raise, it says that the number on the receipt does refer to the gift card, but only gives the last four digits. All other numbers are blanked out for security reasons and it therefore does not give it the opportunity to trace the card.

CCTV cameras are installed in stores for security reasons and are not set up to analyse transactions in the way you suggest.

The bottom line in all this is that GP lost the vouchers himself and, as with other things that go astray, the value is forfeited. However, such M&S cards are valid for four years so who knows, GP might stumble on it still.

As for AG, Marks & Spencer tells me it has no record of him contacting its customer service team. I do require that anyone with such a gripe does write in to whatever body it is complaining about.

Now I learn that AG simply took them into a store and then wrote to me. Had AG written to M&S it would have pointed out that the voucher he sent me clearly says it is a credit voucher, and states in the small print, which is also easy to see, that this "voucher cannot be exchanged for cash or gift vouchers".

M&S tells me that credit vouchers do not have end dates and have not been issued by M&S since 2006. Previously, they were issued to customers as a gesture of goodwill when a customer was returning a product without a receipt. They were replaced in 2006 by credit receipts with a 12-month end date.

M&S stopped accepting credit vouchers on June 12 2009. It will not be making an exception here.

AG says he was actually given these vouchers and understood them to be gift vouchers that he could use. He had no idea they were worthless. Now he knows the facts as recited above, he fully understands why the store is acting as it is.

Compromised identity

I believe an organisation is wrongly using my personal details. This suspicion is grounded in the fact that, on purpose, I gave a snippet of wrong advice that is being perpetuated elsewhere. What can I do about this intrusion?

PBSheffield

This reminds me of the map makers who occasionally insert an extra road on their maps to catch out plagiarists.

When this is done, innocent bystanders trying to find their way can be tripped up too. Similarly, even a slight discrepancy in personal details may backfire, for instance when the person concerned is applying for credit or trying to open a new account.

I can sympathise with your reason for doing this though. As you say, it has revealed something you wouldn't have known otherwise.

Individuals who believe that their personal information has been compromised can contact the Information Commissioner's Office helpline on 0303 123 1113 or see www.ico.gov.uk for data protection and freedom of information advice and tips on when and how to complain about these issues.

Santander's double dip

More than four months ago, after Santander contacted me to offer a new mortgage rate, I agreed to change. The fees were £624 to be paid then or added to the mortgage. I paid this amount at the branch and have a receipt.

Three months ago, I received a statement in the post and noticed that the monthly payment was higher than originally agreed. An extra £624 had been added to the mortgage in spite of my having paid this sum already.

JMNorfolk

This was a booking fee you were being charged twice.

It seems that the mortgage centre did not receive the information that the fee had been paid at the branch. Such a simple matter, one would have thought, could have been easily put right once you told the bank about it. Regrettably, it wasn't, and you ended up coming to me.

After I got in touch with Santander, it factored the £624 payment out of your mortgage and credited back the £9.75 additional interest that had been charged because of the duplication.

You remained unclear about what you would be paying per month and report that, after receiving a letter from the bank detailing what had happened as a result of my involvement, the bank staff member you spoke to knew nothing of the resolution.

Now everything has been properly explained to you. £70 has also been sent for goodwill.